Display-rack.



R. 0. SMITH.

DISPLAY RACK.

- APPLICATION FILED mm; as, 1909.

Patented Mar. 22, 1910.

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' awn-mug ANDREW a GRAHAM 00., PHmO-LITROGRAPNm WASHINGTON. v. Q

RAYBURN CLARK SMITH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE W. SMITH & COMPANY, INC., 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

DISPLAY-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 23, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYBURN CLARK SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Display-Racks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of an improved display rack which is especially adapted for the display of watches, although the rack per 86 may be used for displaying articles other than watches by simply changing the means provided on the rack for the support of the articles.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a durable display rack which can readily be moved from one place to another and can be readily put in place without disturbing the article or articles carried by it.

Another object of my invention is to produce a display rack which is of such form that it can be as readily stored away with or without the articles which it is intended to support, and which is so constructed that it will occupy, when stored away, a minimum amount of space.

A third object of my invention is to provide a display rack with attachments whereby it may be most conveniently placed in position, and held in position without danger of displacement or disarrangement due to accident-a1 causes.

Still a fourth object of my invention is to provide a novel attaching or supporting means for the articles the rack is designed to carry.

The above mentioned objects, and others of less importance, I have accomplished by constructing my display rack in the form of a rigid rectangular frame, and hanging this frame by one of the end or side members of the main body from hooks or suspending attachments secured to ceiling, wall, or other convenient support. I have provided a foot piece or steadying member for holding the foot of the suspended frame in position. Across this rectangular main body I have placed a number of supporting tubes or members, which are supported by the sides of the main body between which they extend, and in turn support the articles to be displayed, suitable means being provided in connection with the tubes for holding the said articles in position upon the rack.

For a detail understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings on which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved display rack. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are details of the supporting members and the means for attaching them to the main body of the frame. Fig. 5 is a view of a sup porting hook for holding an article in position. Fig. 6 is a detail of one of the handles used to manipulate the rack in moving it from place to place.

The main body of the display rack, as has been heretofore said, is rectangular. It is composed of two side members 10 connected together at their ends by end members 11, which are preferably in the form of rods, though, of course, they may be made of any other suitable form. The side and end members are'connected rigidly together and form a rigid structure. This frame may be of any desired material, wood or metal, depending upon the durability desired. Extending be tween the side members 10 of this main body are a series of supporting members 12, which I prefer to form as tubes. These tubes are each slit as at 13 from a point near one end to a point near the other, and at each end of this slit or narrow slot, is provided an opening 14 for the heads 15 of the hooks 16 for carrying the articles to be displayed. The heads 15 of as many of these hooks as are desired, are entered in the openings 14 and thereafter the hooks are slid along the tubes to their proper positions, the depending bodies of the hooks projecting through the narrow slot 13. These hooks are of the form shown in Fig. 5, being preferably made of a single strip of metal bent into the shape shown to form a snap hook. A watch may be supported from this hook by springing its supporting link into the hook in the same manner as is done when attaching a watch to a chain, and there is thus no danger that the watch will be accidentally dislodged, as the spring portion of the hook prevents its ready removal. A hook constructed in the manner outlined, is extremely easy to manufacture and very cheap. When a sufiicient number of hooks have been entered on the tube the opening 14: may be closed by a sliding ring 17 provided one at each end of the tube, and which is of sufficient width to fully close the opening. hen it is desired to insert the hooks this closing piece is slid toward the end of the tube where it does not obstruct the passage of the hooks along the form, though I prefer to make them circular and of such size that they fit snugly within the'ends of the tube. As the tubes are not slit from end to end, but are uncut at their ends they canbe snugly fitted over the blocks 19 without danger of expanding the tube or distorting it in any way. In some cases I may-directly secure this block in the tube as by-means of a' screw 20 thus preventing its displacement while the screw 18 is being run home. A number of holesare drilled opposite each other in the main body of the frame as at 21 and as many of the tubes 12 as desired and spaced in any manner desired, may be placed in the frame. This frame of the display rackcomplete with its supporting members 12 and hook 16, I suspend from the ceiling, walls, or other convenient support bymeans of suspension attachments of hooks 22. These are preferably made of a size to fit the end rod members 11, and permit the ready removal of the frame when desired. Preferably I employ two of these hooks. At the bottom of the frame engaging its lower end I provide a foot piece or steady rest 23 for preventing the frame from swinging on the supporting attachments 22 or from being accidentally displaced. This foot piece may be attached to any-fixed object, such for instance, as the floor of a display window. In order to facilitate the handling of the frame which I have described, I have provided it with collapsible handles 24:. These handles, as shown, are hinged to brackets 25 attached to the side members 10, and on their inner sides are provided with shoulders 26 which, when the handles are grasped, and

drawn inward to lift the frame, engage the edge 27 of the side members 10, and are thus held in upright position at right angles to the main bodyof the frame. The fingers of the hand are thus not'hurt as would be the case if the handles collapsed on the frame, as is common. \Vhen it is desired to place a number of frames close together, as when the 0 space is limited, or when the racks are stored, the'handles 2 1 are extended so as to occupy a position in the same plane as the main body of the frame, as shown in dotted lines on the right hand in Fig. 1, and the frames may 5 then be placed side by side in close proximity to each other. This is an extremely desirable feature when the rack is to be used for displaying watches, as in jewelry establishments it is the common practice to remove the watches to a place of safe keeping for the night. By the use of my invention the entire frame carrying the watches may be moved at once to a safe or vault and placed side by side with other racks. Two valuable advantages result from this mode of handling watches displayed. The frame is rigid and strong and the whole number of watches displayed can be carried at once from the display window or show case to the vault, thus avoiding handling or danger from breakage. And in a given space a great number of display racks may be stored, as the handles or grips are collapsible, and each occupies a minimum space.

It will be seen that I have devised a very durable and efficient display rack for the handling of watches. lVhile I have described it chiefly in this connection, it is also evident that it may be used for displaying articles or goods other than watches, and 9G possesses structural features and advantages which will make it valuable when used in these other connections. Also while I have described the best form of my invention now known to me, it is of course, evident that my invention may be made to take other forms without departing from its generic spirit. I desire to cover in the annexed claims all such modifications as come within the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A display rack comprising a rigid frame composed of side bars and end bars connecting said side bars, and a supporting attachment on which said rack is supported by one of said end bars, from which supporting attachment said rack is directly and freely removable by movement in a vertical plane, and means for holding in position the opposite end of said rack, whichfreely admits movement of the rack in a vertical plane but prohibits movement in a plane transverse to the vertical.

2. A display rack comprising a rigid frame composed of side and end members connected rigidly together, supporting tubes for supporting the articles to be displayed, said supporting tubes being slit from a point near one end to a point near the other,'means for securing the tubes in the frame by their ends, supporting hooks, which project through the slits an opening at each end of the slits for admitting the hooks to thetubes, and collars-of a width less than the distance between the ends of the slits and the sides of the frame for maintaining said hooks in the tubes.

3. In a display rack, a frame having side and end portions, handles on said side portions normally extending outwardly in the same plane as the frame, and abutting por- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set tions on the frame and handles respectively my hand in presence of two subscribing witwhereby when the handles are grasped to lift nesses.

the rack they are extended forwardly and RAYBURN CLARK SMITH. are held in position substantially at right Witnesses: angles to the plane of the frame and parallel W. NELSON L. WEST,

with each other. FRED GREEN. 

